Klein wins Democratic primary in race for City Court judge

In his bid to become City Court judge, Corey Klein, the city’s corporation counsel for 20 years, was declared the winner of Tuesday’s Democratic primary, when he clinched 60 percent of the votes compared to the 39.89 percent that his opponent Scott Nigro pulled in.

With all 24 of the city’s voting districts reporting, Klein defeated Nigro, a local attorney and former city councilman, by a sizable margin, 1,212 votes to 805, according to the Nassau County Board of Elections.

Klein will now face Republican candidate Ted Hommel, a former assistant city attorney, in the November election.

Klein announced his candidacy in April, and is looking to fill the remainder of Judge Roy Tepper’s 10-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2015.

Tepper — one of two City Court judges, who has held his seat for 30 years — won a 10-year term last November. Since the mandatory retirement age for judges in New York is 70, however, Tepper, who turned 70 in July, can serve only until Jan. 1. The new judge will serve the balance of his term.

City Court judges handle arraignments, misdemeanor criminal cases and felony hearings as well as civil cases, building violations, landlord-tenant cases, traffic and parking violations, and real estate and zoning matters.

Klein, a lifelong Long Beach resident who earned a law degree from Hofstra University in 1994, said he always dreamed of being a judge in his hometown. He told the Herald in April that he wants to bring more modern ideas and improvements to the court system, he said, such as reinstituting night court for traffic and parking cases, and making entering a plea online more efficient to avoid a court appearance.

“I actually worked as an intern for Judge Tepper when I was in law school, and seeing how the court worked then, I gained an appreciation for it,” Klein said in April. “With Judge Tepper leaving, now it’s an opportunity where I can jump in and run for a position that I’ve always had a great appreciation for.”

The Herald will update this story.